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UNITED srarns PATENT/onere.

JNO. T. GARLICK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-PRESERVING BEDSTEAD AND SOFA.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,946, dated March 31, 1857.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN T. GARLIGK, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Water'- Tight Floating Bedstead, Settee, or Sofa for use on Ships and Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to t-he accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 presents a perspectives-and Fig. 2- a vertical longitudinal sectional viewof my improvement.

The design and purpose of my improvement is to make a bedstead, settee or sofa for use on ships and vessels that shall be water-tight and be sufficiently buoyant when a placed in the waterin case of wreck or other disaster to the vessel-to be used as a support to the person o-r persons upon it, and that shall retain its proper upright position on the surface of the water or regain it, if it shall by any means be overturned or capsized.

The bedstead, settee or sofa, as shown in the drawings, is constructed double at its bottom and at each of its ends, to form air chambers, or chambers in which metallic tanks or the cutting and shearings of cork may be placed, of sufficient capacity to not `only float itself, but also sustain upon it,

without sinking, when it is placed in the water, the person or persons who may take refuge upon it, in case of wreck or other disaster to the vessel on which it is placed and used. For river or inland marine service where ythe distance to shore from the vessel can in no ordinary case be Very great, it can be made of wood and properly secured together, and calked or otherwise tightened at its joints, and depend upon the air chambers formed in it for its buoyancy, but for ocean or lake service, where it would be liable to be subjected to stress and strain when floating in a heavy sea, it would be preferable either to construct it of light plate metal, or if made of wood, to fill up the chambers with air tight metallic tanks, or with the cuttings and sliavings of cork. Its sides are raised suiiicientlyhigh above the upper surface of the bottom, to not only retain the bedding or seat in place when it is used for its primary purpose of bedstead, set-tee or sofa on the vessel, but also to furnish guards to which its occupants can be lashed fast when it is floated in t-he water. In case it should be deemed desirable, a portion of each of its ends may be partitioned olf into water tight lockers-secured by suitably fastened water tight doors or covers-to form receptacles in which water and provisionscould be kept and carried for the use of the occupants when it is afloat. The chambers at each of its ends serve the purpose of increasing its buoyancy when it is afloat, and also of keeping it upright in the water and returning it to that position if by any means it should be overturned or capsized.

It is designed to make use of this improvement on board vessels, in place and stead of the berth racks, settees and sofas now used in the sleeping apartments, and cabins and on deck, so that the occupant of each berth, shall be entitled to and have at his or her disposal-in case of an accident occurring to the vessel when under way, that shall oblige the passengers to leave it-a more reliable means of saving life than is afforded by the so-called life-preservers now ordinarily used, while they are entirely out of the way and take up no room which is otherwise available, when their services as lifepreservers are not called into requisition and they are used for their primary purpose.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The air, and water, tight bedstead, settee or sofa constructed and arranged in the manner herein described and for the purposes set forth.

JOHN T. GARLICK.

Witnesses:

SIDNEY Low, FRANCIS S. Low. 

